Going with the Flow
I am sitting in the middle of Riad Saba, with the gentle sound of flowing water from the fountain in front of me, the stone floor cool under my bare feet.
Riad means garden and these beautiful buildings are built with trees and plants in a central courtyard and feature a fountain or swimming pool… The windows only look inward, allowing for a really peaceful energy within, away from the activity and vibrancy outside…
Looking up I can see the blue sky and shining hot day above me – an open roof is also one of the criteria of a Riad.
Yesterday a dove flew over and pooed as it flew, which landed on the table beside me… Jamal, the manager of Riad Saba said this was a first.
I am taking it as a good omen…
This attitude feels to be keeping with the energy of the land….’God’s will’
Crossing a road here feels quite hazardous… There is no system, some cars go, some might wave you on, but there is not a consistent pattern and there are very wide roads and a lot of cars!
And so it feels best to join in and go with the flow, become part of the whirl of movement and energy, the constant pace and activity of humanity.
I find that going with the flow allows for connection with myself, others and all that is… Flowing with the ways of the land, the people, the customs, the weather, the food… Embracing and validating our differences.
It is in validating difference that we connect. This is evident between friends, couples, colleagues… When we listen to the other, truly listen, hear what they say and validate it…
Then we cross the bridge into the world of another, then we meet them and connect.
This is true at an individual level, within our own culture and land; and it is very prevalent when in a new land, with new tastes, sounds, smells and customs…
If we can practice this in every moment, truly step into the shoes of another, stretch to imagine what it might be like to live in their world…Then we are uniting at an individual level, which naturally opens to a group level. which extends to a global level.
I have been running all of my life – it feels I was born to run. In the running step I experienced freedom and my true expression. I came to see that I needed to ‘get out of the way of myself’ and let my energy flow through the running step; allow it to express itself in the dance and the motion of running. I ran for England and GB for some years. My first international was in 1979, a three mile cross country race; and I continued to run at international level until 1993. Two of my best results were first place in the Dublin City Marathon in 1985 and 7th place woman, 3rd British woman in the 1986 London Marathon in a time of 2.36.31, which gained me selection for the Commonwealth Games.
As a little girl I ran barefoot for many years, and then I put on shoes to race around the world. Fifty years later I am travelling the world as a nomad with my husband Anadi and I have taken off my shoes and I am running barefoot again….
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